Wider Northeast Extension is coming our way

Darlene Ebner of Whitehall Township emailed a while ago with this query:

"My question concerns the work I see happening on the PA Turnpike north of the Mid-County interchange almost to Lansdale. On both sides of the highway, it appears crews are creating new road beds outside the Turnpike fencing. I'm wondering why. Thanks."

Thanks for the question, Darlene. My first column on this topic appeared in 2008; the Turnpike has continued to make progress with its widening of I-476 from Mid-County, where the so-called east-west Turnpike meets the Extension, to Lansdale -- and eventually all the way to the Lehigh Valley, though that's not likely to happen for many years. Incidentally, I'm told that in the western part of the state, there's no such thing as "the east-west Turnpike," which would make sense, since the Extension so familiar to use Valley residents isn't much of a factor.

Anyway, below is the original column from April 18, 2008, for some of the details

Headline: Overpasses removed for Turnpike widening

Q. While driving back from Philadelphia recently on the Northeast Extension, I noticed at least two overpasses between Plymouth Meeting and Lansdale that had been completely removed from crossing the highway. Any idea what's up with that? Any chance they were removed in preparation for the highway expanding from four lanes to six lanes?

--Chris Waters, Bethlehem

A. Not just a chance, Chris. That's exactly what's happening: The Turnpike's Northeast Extension, I-476, will be widened from four to six lanes from Mid-County north to Lansdale, beginning in 2010, according to current plans.

In anticipation of that temporary inconvenience, permanent improvement, the Kriebel Road Bridge in Towamencin Township, about two miles south of the Lansdale interchange, and the Bethel Road Bridge in Worcester Township, about two miles south of the Kriebel span, are being replaced.

The state Turnpike Commission is being kind to us in this respect, Chris: They've limited the lane closures to nighttime hours for these Montgomery County bridge replacements.

The work began in early February, and by the time the Warrior visited April 8, both bridges had vanished; only the pillars remained, as you can see in today's photo of the Kriebel pillars on the west side of the Turnpike. Detours are in effect for those who normally use the bridges.

In addition to Kriebel and Bethel, the Walton Road and Route 202 (DeKalb Pike) overpasses, the first two north of Mid-County, are set for replacement later this year and in 2009, though traffic flow will be maintained during those replacements; detours will not be needed.

The Morris Road, Bustard Road and Sumneytown Pike overpasses will be done in 2009-11, under the current timetable. So all seven bridges to be replaced along the 10.5-mile stretch between Mid-County and Lansdale should be completed by 2012.

This is part of a massive ongoing project to rebuild and expand sections of the Turnpike system, the first part of which opened on Oct. 1, 1940. The estimated $2 billion reconstruction began in 1999 and is expected to continue through about 2025.

If any widening ever makes its way to the Lehigh Valley area, all the overpass bridges along the way probably will have to be replaced. There are 26 such bridges between Mid-County and Lehigh Valley (including the seven previously mentioned), plus two service-plaza overpasses.

So I wouldn't expect overpass bridges to disappear any time soon up our way, Chris. And it's unclear how Pennsylvania's highway- and bridge-maintenance funding crisis might affect existing road-improvement plans, whether on the Turnpike or free roads.

It's been a bumpy ride on the search for politically acceptable ways to raise the nearly $1 billion in new annual revenue that Gov. Ed Rendell says we need to pull our transportation infrastructure into the repair garage. That's $1 billion more, every year, not to build new roads and bridges, but merely to get the existing ones back in shape. (Rendell also wants roughly $750 million more each year to support mass-transit agencies, so we need about $1.7 billion more annually.)

This demolition derby has involved the governor, the legislature, the Turnpike Commission, the trucking industry and other business groups, and even the U.S. Congress, with us road warriors and taxpayers trying to steer officials toward the revenue sources that wear on our tires the least.

Rendell's first test-drive involved a plan to lease the Turnpike to a private company, but the Turnpike Commission jammed on the brake pedal throughout the ride. Turnpike officials want to charge tolls on I-80 instead, but the business folks and some in Congress are trying to block that road. Federal approval is needed to charge tolls on the interstates.

Rendell's climbing back into the lease limo as we speak, Chris, determined this time to persuade the relevant parties to sign on the dotted line. And he's a pretty good salesman.

The Warrior has a plan to raise every dime of the $1.7 billion without a Turnpike lease or I-80 tolls, though it might prove even more unpopular than those two combined. According to his calculations, all we need is a slight increase in the state gasoline tax -- slight being 34 cents per gallon. About 5 billion gallons are sold in the state each year, according to the Revenue Department.

This would more than double the 31.2-cent charge we now pay in state gas taxes. The Warrior explained his proposal to state Transportation Secretary Allen Biehler last year when the PennDOT chief visited Allentown. Biehler listened politely, smiled wanly, patted the Warrior on the shoulder and replied, "Don't call us; we'll call you."

But think about it, folks. Gas would go from $3.35 a gallon to $3.69 -- a 10 percent cost increase that would dump Hummer sales and electrify hybrid-car purchases.

And we can do it. Similar price spikes for gasoline exploded onto our roadways in the 1970s. We responded by conserving energy, in part by switching to smaller cars. What a concept.

And you know, the world is still here.

Road Warrior appears Mondays and Fridays. E-mail questions about roadways, traffic and transportation to hartzell@mcall.com. Please include your name and the municipality where you live. Or, write to Road Warrior, The Morning Call, 101 N. Sixth St., Allentown, PA 18101-1480.

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about this blog

Morning Call Reporter and Columnist Dan Hartzell is The Road Warrior, defending the drivers of the Lehigh Valley and the roads on which they drive. E-mail questions about transportation in the Lehigh Valley and beyond to hartzell@mcall.com.